Glass Statue
by allekto
Summary: fluff, fluff, fluff! Daisuke wants to get someone to notice him. you get one guess who the someone is!
1. 1

Notes: I am going to get myself into so much trouble. NaNoWriMo already started and I've barely gotten anything done... but here I am writing out more fluff fiction- while at work no less. This can't be healthy.

Warnings: there's lot of yaoi. Men are gay. You better watch out!

Disclaim: Don't own them, sad to say...

__

Glass Statue

"Maybe I want you to kiss me. Did you ever think of that?" He walked around the stoic figure before him. "Maybe I'm tired of turning in circles before you like a performer. Tired of showing you all that I have to offer. Tired of trying to wake you when you insist on sleeping. Tired of kissing your cold lips." As he spoke he traced a shaking hand over those lips. Just as he said, they were cold, unyielding, hard. The smooth touch brought tears to his eyes. "Just once," he whispered, "just once I want you to wake up to me. Please, Ken. _Please_..."

***

Daisuke woke abruptly, as though he had fallen far, hard, fast and then been pulled back. Squinting in the evaporating darkness he glanced at his digital clock. Barely even six-thirty in the morning. Not a time for him to be part of the waking world. So why... Oh. Right. "Dreams again," he muttered to himself. 

The dreams had been getting steadily worse over the past months. They began nearly six years ago, sporadic and sweet. When they first happened the elements weren't quite so clear. But always, the statue. The untouchable figure that Daisuke longed for. The one he had practically created. Years ago, that figure was sometimes Hikari. But as time went on, the glass changed, became someone else. Someone Dai wanted just as much, if not more, than he had ever wanted her. Someone so perfect, so beautiful, so ethereal...

"Ken," he whispered. The name had even been spoken in the dream itself. A sign that his feelings were growing. Some sort of signal of the subconscious that he was sick of waiting in the shadows of Ken's life. And it was true. Daisuke was entirely too sick of being in the background- watching as Ken charmed his way through the world, watching so patiently as Ken went through girl after girl. All to no avail.

Perhaps it was a selfish notion, but Daisuke felt he had recreated Ken with his acceptance of him. After everything in the Digital World...

Wincing in the darkness, Dai bit his lip at the flash of heartache. Thinking of the Digital World now always hurt. The gate had closed again. It was such a serious shutdown that if any of the digimon had elected to stay with their human partners they would have surely wasted away. But that didn't make it hurt any less. From time to time, though the connection was still a bit fuzzy, there were emails from the 'mon. Of all the Destined, Daisuke took it the hardest. Especially when he heard that Veemon wasn't doing well. Something like a sickness of the soul. Still, that had been months ago and though the last email had been typically spotty, word had been passed along that Veemon was feeling better thanks to the amorous help of his Jogress partner.

Now if only the insect's human half would listen to such reasoning. But no, of course not. Ken, the perfectly stoic human, perfectly logical, he would never understand Daisuke's reasoning. His belief that the Jogress had opened such a profound link between them that there was no possible way they could go without each other... it was more than simple fantasy to Daisuke. He knew it was reality. Even if Ken would never admit to it. To Dai it all made perfect sense. He and Ken completed each other, they belonged together. It was just that simple. Their digimon understood this, so why didn't Ken?

Not that there was a whole lot Daisuke could do about it other than dream. And hope and wish that one day Ken would break from his regime. He was like ice. No... Like _glass_. He was Daisuke's perfect glass statue. "So perfect," the Destined murmured. So smooth, polished, curved where he needed to be, gleaming like a crystal prince in the sunlight. Daisuke sighed as images of Ken danced through his mind. Dark hair just barely sweeping his shoulders, lips parted in a tentative smile, eyes so gentle and compassionate... Long legs, trim and lean waist, the flat planes of his chest and stomach... All kept so conveniently far out of reach.

Flopping back on his bed Daisuke pouted. "Dammit." Rubbing his eyes he thought back to his dream, his lovely glass statue. Wait a minute... Bolting upright, the keeper of Courage and Friendship smiled. _Perfect_.

***

Unknown to most of the Digidestined, Daisuke was about as artistic as humanly possible. There was nothing he couldn't paint, sculpt, photograph, or sketch. He could and often did spend hours trying to perfect his latest works. If nothing else, it alleviated a lot of tension. Besides, canvas never talked back to him when he was angry. Clay and stone never protested when he destroyed what he made only to start anew. Of course, he had never tried working with glass before. There's a first time for everything.

Checking over his tools he smiled and fastened his goggles securely in place. Blowtorch, chisel, and sander close at hand he got to work. His original plan had been to carve a life-size statue. But since he wanted to give it to Ken as soon as possible, that option was out. Actual size would take weeks. So, scaling things down a bit, Daisuke opted to create a glass figurine of Ken from a ten-inch size sketch. Hopefully things would turn out okay.

Hours later Daisuke was sweating and cursing his way through the block of glass. He had chiseled, he had sanded, he had polished and nothing came out right. Either the piece he chose was too big or too small. Setting them aside he figured he'd find a use for them later. Pulling his goggles up and wiping his hands on his apron, Dai surveyed his studio. The backroom of a warehouse that his uncle had graciously allowed him to rent. For such a small room it housed an awful lot of art. There was also a kiln and a couple wheels. The kiln had taken a lot of convincing. So had the darkroom. All in all though, if Daisuke could have lived in the little room he would have. For some reason the others had talked him out of it.

"How the hell can you hole up in here like this?" The clear voice cut through Daisuke's thoughts. "There aren't any windows- not to mention no fridge." Taichi stepped through the door followed closely by Yamato.

Despite his frustration, Daisuke smiled. "Hey Tai! What brings you two here?"

"Three actually," Yamato answered before the older brunette got a chance. "Koushiro's parking the car and muttering to himself about being hijacked." The last was said with a blatant accusation thrown Taichi's way.

"Hey, don't blame me! His mom said he needed to get out more." Holding up his hands in protest, Tai did his best to appear innocent.

"That does not involve gagging me and dragging me down here to... Where are we?" Koushiro looked around, apparently confused. Noticing some of the paintings and Daisuke's state of dress, his obsidian eyes widened. "Did you do all of these?"

Blushing a little Dai began to fidget with the goggles in his hands. Finally giving a small nod he looked back up at the older Destined again realizing that Koushiro's expression was not one of shock but one of awe.

"They're amazing!" Who would have suspected that Daisuke of all people could (or would) hide such a talent? Next thing someone would be telling him that Tai could actually sing better than Yamato.

His blush darkened. "Thanks, Kou." Clearing his throat a little he gestured to a stack of paintings. "I've got some of Tentomon and Kabuterimon in there if you want them." Noticing the way those obsidian eyes lit up with joy, Daisuke smiled. "You're more than welcome to take them home if you like them enough, Koushiro."

Smiling brightly, the young man went over to the pile to sort through calling out over his shoulder. "Thanks!"

Turning back to Yamato and Taichi, Daisuke raised an eyebrow. "I have a fridge."

"Yeah that's full of film, clay, and paint," Tai shot back as he began to fiddle with the blowtorch Daisuke had set aside. "Tasty, tasty treats."

Yamato made a grab for the torch. After wrestling it away from Taichi he held it out to the artist. "You going through another pyro phase?"

Shaking his head, Dai motioned to the block of glass he had been working with. As the blond went over to inspect he felt himself beginning to reminisce. Ah, the Pyro Phase- as it had come to be called. When Ken first began seriously dating girls and Daisuke had gone to Tai's in a state of complete distress. After a long explanation filled with hitching breaths and half sobs he had explained his theory on Jogress and his feelings for Ken. That was when Tai had suggested a way to take out his upset and Daisuke explained further about his art. Needless to say, Taichi had been intrigued. So much so that he had dragged Yamato along to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. Each of them had paintings of their digimon... a lot of paintings.

"So what're you working on?" Tai frowned down at the sketch of Ken and assorted tools.

Daisuke had to repeat himself a few times before they heard him. "Making a glass figurine for Ken."

Koushiro's eyebrows were in his hair. "Glass? Isn't that difficult?" When the younger boy nodded he looked thoughtful for a moment. "Why a glass figurine?" He never bothered to ask 'why Ken'. A genius would know those things.

At that, Dai had to look away. "Because that's what he is to me. A perfect glass statue that sits high on a pedestal. Someone I can't touch or be near. I don't think he'll understand it though." Swallowing the thickness in his throat he brushed a tear from his cheek. "I just wish he would see."

The three in the room looked at him with matching sympathy. It was hard to watch someone who was normally so happy be so utterly miserable. Tai stepped forward to offer a hug. "You want some company while you work?" No one bothered to protest that they had other plans.

***

Sometime later as Daisuke chiseled away at the glass trying to make it utterly perfect, things had settled down a bit. There was laughter and shouting in the studio, and occasional music as Yamato sat down with his guitar. Tai kept causing a general ruckus, but that was simply Tai. Even Koushiro was grinning from ear to ear.

"You know," the redhead spoke up, "if I were in Ken's place I'd certainly be impressed by a gift like this one." His words caused Daisuke to look up, a question clear on his face. "Well, it's very obvious how much you care about him. I think Ken's a fool to treat you the way he does. If you made something like that for me, I would have to all in love with you."

And the figure fell to the floor when Daisuke's chisel slipped. Ken's arm was broken. "Shit," the artist muttered.

Koushiro had the grace to blush. "Er... sorry?"

Dai merely shrugged. "It's ok. As you can see, I've got a lot of glass."

***

"So, Koushiro, you're saying that if someone gave you a gift like this you'd fall at their feet?" Tai grinned at the redhead.

It was two hours later and Daisuke was working quicker. He knew what to do and had started with a smaller piece of glass. Working diligently he was only half listening to the conversation.

"Well, I doubt anyone else would be that willing to make a glass figurine for me, but yeah. It's obvious that the gift is special and that the person who made it cares a great deal. All in all, though I completely object to such notions on a general basis... it's entirely romantic."

Daisuke was listening fully by then and joined in his staring by both Yamato and Taichi.

"So, if someone wrote you a song would you feel the same way?" Yamato's voice was careful, unsure. Tai sent him a quick glare.

Koushiro was silent for a few moments. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason! He's not asking for any reason!!" Taichi leaped up and grabbed the blond's guitar before he darted around the studio, Yamato snarling at his heels.

Dai chuckled and went back to work. Only to be distracted by another question. 

"Daisuke, do you think it's only possible for Jogress partners to fall in love among the Digidestined?" Koushiro's eyes were intense, his face set.

Thinking for a moment, Dai felt his eyes flicker to the brunette running through his studio. "No. In fact I thi-"

"He doesn't think anything!" Taichi yelped and moved to clamp a hand over Daisuke's mouth... and knocked the statue...

Daisuke caught it in a pure reflex of adrenaline...

Only to lose his hold on it when Yamato slammed into Tai.

Ken's legs broke.

Tai let go of Daisuke as he gaped at the statue on the floor. "Oops?"

"Son of a bitch." Daisuke reached for another chunk of glass.

"Hey! Don't call my mother a bitch."

***

Three more times the statue broke. Another attributed to Taichi's antics, one time to Daisuke's own clumsiness, and lastly by Yamato when he had thrown it at Tai's head in rage. He, at least, offered to pay for his damage.

Down to his last piece, Daisuke threw the three elder Destined out of his studio with a harsh promise that they were to tell no one what he was working on else death would come swiftly. And probably in the form of glass.

Settling down again to work, he took a deep breath and pictured Ken. Deep blue eyes, shy smile, angled features, soft hair, delicate hands... Ah yes, nothing like love to clear away negative thoughts. Reaching for his chisel, Daisuke began to work. There was a smile on his face as he realized how glad he was that the last piece of glass was much larger than the others. Perfect.

***

er... review? it's oddly lighthearted, which isn't what I normally write... the next part will be something like a 'Meanwhile With Ken'. turnaround time could be slow, NaNoWriMo is on... nano_allekto on LiveJournal if anyone wants to check it out. 


	2. 2

Notes: sometime I forget that other people aren't as geeky as I am.  NaNoWriMo- National Novel Writing Month.  The goal is to write 50,000 words (a novella really) by November 30th.  For more information go to: .  And I originally wrote this chapter at work and since I'm a complete retard I accidentally deleted it.  So, I'm now trying to recreate what was previously written.

Warnings: if you read chapter one, then you ought to know by now.

Disclaimer: don't own, don't sue, poverty's a bitch.

Glass Statue- 2 

While Daisuke chiseled away, Ken was faring much worse.  In fact, he was certain that the gods were punishing him.  Punishing how?  One- Hikari and Miyako had found him and were dragging him out shopping, which would have been fine if Ken actually gave a damn about what they were looking for.  Two- he had just broken up with his most recent fling and he really needed to talk to Daisuke.  Really.

Sighing for the umpteenth time during their spree, Miyako and Hikari exchanged a look behind Ken's back.  The look said it all, and unbeknownst to Ken, he never even stood a chance.  The trio walked along, gazing into windows on occasion.

Finally, Miyako decided to break the ice.  "So, Ken how're things going?  And where's Mai?  Haven't seen her around in a while."

Ken was quiet for a few minutes.  "We broke up."  He refused to look at Miyako, or Kari for that matter.  His eyes darted all over- anywhere but his two friends.

The Keeper of Sincerity was never one to beat around the bush, so the next question really shouldn't have been a shock.  "Who broke it off, you or her?"

He went quiet again.  Why did she always have to ask about things like that?  "I did."

Another look was exchanged.  This time Hikari spoke up, because the Light has a tendency to make great guesses at certain things.  "Was it because of Daisuke?"

Ken stopped walking.  He stopped so suddenly that his two companions went past him and had to back up to get to him again.  "Why would you say that?"  If he had been feeling brave, Ken might have been able to admit to himself that his voice was shaking.

Hikari sighed.  "Well, you've stopped talking to him, Ken.  You haven't spoken to him for nearly two weeks."  There was the briefest of pauses.  "And that would almost be okay if he wasn't your best friend.  Or if you weren't treating him-"

"Like he's got The Plague," Miyako cut in.  "Which is a completely shitty thing to do.  What's going on, Ken?"  She stood there trying to muster as much patience as she could manage.

"It's just that… I don't know," his voice was quiet.  Dammit, he was having a difficult enough time trying to figure things out, he didn't need two meddling minds trying to poke him along.

The girls shared another look.  It seemed that what they had suspected was actually true.  Kari knew how hard things were going to get from this point.  Miyako nodded to her Jogress partner and let her ask the question.  "When did you find out?"

Blinking and feigning obliviousness, Ken asked, "About what?"

Even Kari had to raise an eyebrow at that one.  "Cut the crap, Ken.  You know what."

Ken winced at the sound of such harsh words coming from the Child of Light.  Finally, he nodded and mumbled the answer.  "Two weeks ago."

Miyako's smirk was triumphant.  "So you did hear that conversation!"  She turned to the other girl, "I told you it was a perfect setup."

Ken felt his eyes widen.  "A _setup_?"

Shrugging, Miya pretended to yawn and explained.  "Well, yeah.  I mean it's been going on for so long and you didn't know about it.  Someone had to tell you somehow."

There was a vein in his forehead that he could feel twitching with every word.  "A _setup_?!  Why?"

Then Kari reached out a hand and touched his shoulder, trying to calm him down.  "Because Daisuke is miserable.  He has been for a long time.  Every time you show up with some new girl it only gets worse.  He never wanted to tell you because he thought you'd never take it seriously.  He thought you might laugh, think it was a joke, or maybe just be disgusted."

"But… how could he?  I mean, I would never do anything to hurt Daisuke."  Ken's voice went quiet again and he felt small all of a sudden.  It was another moment of complete confusion for him.  Thankfully, Miyako guided him to a bench where he could steady himself.  Even if there had been no emotional outbursts occurring, Ken still would have been hard pressed for anything brilliant to say.  As it was, he simply repeated, "I would never hurt Daisuke."  He looked up to see matching sympathy and guilt in his friends' eyes.

Kari gave a bittersweet smile.  "That's the first time I've heard you say his name in two weeks."

However, Miyako always tried to look at the bright side.  "Yeah, you haven't so much breathed in his direction since Takeru's party."  Bad move on her part.

At the word 'party', Ken's shoulders stiffened, his eyebrow went up, and his jaw set.  "About that party…?"  Now if he would just put on some sunglasses and spike his hair a little bit… And get a whip…

Throwing her hands up in defeat, Miyako looked to her Jogress partner.  "A little help here?"

***

"So, you're telling me that the conversation I overheard between Taichi and Yamato was staged entirely for my benefit."

Miyako and Hikari nodded, opting to say nothing until they were sure Ken understood.

"And they were supposed to talk about how Daisuke has… feelings for me."  Even after two weeks, he still couldn't say the words outright.

They nodded again.

"And about how he's miserable."

Still more nodding.

"Then launch into the Koushiro Project."

Kari made a face that clearly stated she had no idea what project Ken was talking about.  Miyako started to nod and then caught herself.  

"Whoa there, tiger."  To her, this sounded like a juicy bit of gossip.  And wherever there was gossip, that was where Miyako, Keeper of Love and Sincerity, would be.  Grinning with socially deadly menace she all but purred, "Tell me _everything_."

***

Said blond, brunette, and redhead were not two blocks away at a local bookstore.  They had all decided to do something relaxing after leaving Daisuke's studio.  Hopefully, it was something that would bring them a little more cheer.

But something was going on in Odaiba.  Taichi kept scratching his nose with a vengeance, Yamato seemed to have suddenly fallen victim to red-ear syndrome, and Koushiro swore his was getting and ear infection because his left ear just would not stop itching.

Rubbing fiercely at his nose, Tai declared what the issue had to be.  "Someone must be talking about us."

Koushiro rolled his eyes.  "That's just a superstition.  Honestly, that's as silly as believing in-"

"Fairymon and wolves and dragons that come from another world?"  Yamato couldn't keep the smirk off of his face.

The redhead rolled his eyes again and headed off to check out the section of computer programming books.

Taichi, on the other hand, was still scratching.  "Dude, either I've got the biggest booger in the world, or someone is talking mad shit about us right now."

It was just too easy.  "Well, with you that really could go either way," Yamato snickered.

"Ha, ha, ha," was Taichi's reply.  "Don't talk to me Ishida, I'm still pissed off at you."  At that, he spun on his heel to head towards the magazines.

Yamato only rolled his eyes at his friend's retreating back.  "Such a whiny bitch sometimes, I swear…"

***

"I can't believe no one's told me about this," Miyako was outraged.  "Honestly, we all know that no one keeps a secret around me for long!"

"I just can't believe I didn't know.  Or that Takeru didn't know either.  By now one of us should have found out."  Kari felt a pout tugging at her perfectly glossed lips.

"If it's any consolation, I don't think I was supposed to know either," Ken smiled a bit.  He was just glad that the subject was off of him and Daisuke.

Hikari continued pouting.  "This is just so off, though.  Considering the people involved I should have known by now.  Between Koushiro, Yamato, and my own brother, not to mention Takeru, I should know.  I can't believe he didn't tell me!"

Miyako's eyes narrowed.  "Can I see your phone for a minute?"  The phone was already in her hand and she was dialing from memory before anyone knew what was really happening.

"What on earth are you doing?"  Kari was suspicious enough- she knew her Jogress partner, and knew her well.

"I'm calling him," Miyako's voice clearly sounded as if that was the most obvious answer in the known history of the universe.  "What else would I be doing?"

"You won't be able to reach him at home right now, he's at work until seven."  Fairly certain that he knew who they were talking about, Ken sighed and sent out a silent prayer of pity for his fellow man.

Letting the glint in her eyes shine clearly to all, Miyako gave a devilish smile.

"Oh no you don't," Hikari caught the other girl's arm.  "We can't go in there and make another scene.  Do you really want Takeru to get fired?"

Miyako stuck out her tongue and promptly sat back down.  "Why do you always have to rain all over my parade?"  Sighing she eyed the cell phone that was still in her hand.  "Fine.  But then Ken gets to call him."

He sputtered for a moment and then whined.  "Why do I have to do it?"

Both girls rolled their eyes, but Hikari answered for all womankind: "Because you're the one who told us about it.  Idiot!"

***

Taichi was peering over the top of his magazine, eyes tracking his prey.  It was amazing how graceful someone could be if they had no idea that they were being watched.  He frowned when a familiar body blocked his view and returned to his soccer magazine.  Tai was still reading when Yamato sat down next to him.

The blond was completely unprepared for the solid slap that connected with the back of his head.  "Ow!  What the hell was that for?!"

"Because I'm still mad at you, because you all but told him everything, and because you were blocking my view just now.  But mostly because I'm still mad at you."  His eyes never left the article he was reading.

Sighing, Yamato grabbed a magazine from the nearby stand.  "Well, I just thought it looked like you needed some help in the Getting the Situation Going department."

That finally made the brunette look up.  "Help, yes.  A hard kick right in my balls?  No."

Feigning nonchalance as well as Taichi, Yamato countered.  "Not in the balls, more like in the ass."

That line got them both laughing so hard and so loud that Koushiro wandered over.  He was inevitable followed by store personnel- who asked them to leave.

***

After dialing the number, Ken was not surprised that the phone was snatched out of his hands.  He could only hope that his yelp of "ambush" had gotten through in time.

"Takaishi Takeru you are the devil!"  Miyako was screaming into the cell phone.  "Why?  What the fuck do you mean 'why'?!  You know why you little shit!"

Kari made a grab for her phone.  "You withholding bastard.  Don't tell me you have no idea what I'm talking about!"

Taking the phone back, Miyako started in again.  "This is only the best story of the year, Takaishi.  How could you keep something like this from me?  I know you must've told someone!"  There was a loud scream emitting from the earpiece of the cell phone as she held it nearly a foot from her head.  When she finally decided to listen again, the conversation on Miyako's side was mostly "uh-huh", "no", "yes", "no way!", and "damn then".  The last of which meant Takeru had won the battle.

"You mean you've really got no idea what we're talking about?  Well then ho-ly shit have I got some gossip for you, my friend!"

Ken just settled in, trying to rest up for what would certainly be a trip all over town to hunt down the rest of the Destined.  He was fine with that, so long as no one asked him any questions about Daisuke.

*************

That's the most I can remember of it.  Now, it's late and I'm getting sleepy.  Next chapter: more agonizing Ken, the trio returns, checking in with Daisuke, and just what the hell has Takeru been up to anyway?  And who else is out of the loop?  Review?


	3. 3

Notes: I think this is becoming my Wednesday ritual. No, that's bad… I'm at work! But, then again, work is dull. So screw it then… on with the typing.

Warnings: come on, you can't be serious- like you don't know there's yaoi ahead.

Disclaimer: don't own Digimon, despite my various attempts and failures.

Also… this fic probably seems very similar to some others out there as far as tone and feeling. Honestly, that's mostly due to the other wonderful DaiKensuke authors whose fics have been inspirational and amazing to me. Kudos to all those who helped pave the way and inspire writers such as myself. I'd list the names, but that would make this note enormous. Thanks also go out to everyone who has left me a review- you have no idea how much I appreciate it!!! ^_^

And finally…

__

Glass Statue- 3

After sanding and cutting the glass down to the right size, Daisuke finally took a moment to stop. Wiping the sweat from his forehead he couldn't help but grin at the outlined shape of his creation. There was absolutely no way this gift would be mistaken for anything but a token of love. If Ken failed to get the message then it was certain his IQ would need to be tested again. Still considered a genius, the Child of Kindness could indeed be awfully dense sometime. Dai sighed hoping that when Ken received his gift it would not be one of those times.

Slipping a face mask over his nose and mouth and pulling his goggles and gloves back into place, the artist picked up his refined drill to begin giving his work the finer details it still needed. The mask was itchy, but it wouldn't do him any good to inhale minute shards of glass. That would probably hurt. Still, the thing was really restricting.

The drill in his hand was a smaller handheld version of what he normally used to add holes to his pottery or his walls. It took two bits, one for shaving the glass and another for cutting lines into it. After cutting the lines, Daisuke would have to sand them down a bit so that they wouldn't cut anyone who happened to touch them. As his mind began to wander, he mused over how cool it would have been to have a laser cutter. Yeah, laser… that was the way to go. Or if the Gate was open maybe Stingmon could use that weird spike thingy of his to cut the lines. Or maybe even X-Veemon could have helped.

Daisuke turned off his drill and quickly blinked away the gathering liquid in his eyes. No, he wouldn't cry anymore about this. He had already shed too many tears. And he knew what his partner had said- to just let things run their course, no matter how hard it was to be separated from each other. Best friends shouldn't be pulled apart. But then, Veemon and Wormmon had gotten together and the pain lessened. Or so they said…

Sighing again, Dai flipped his drill back on. As he thought some more his good mood returned, he could make one of these of his digimon! Now, why hadn't that occurred to him before? Honestly, his head was really in the clouds… some… times…

"Oh shit," Daisuke nearly fell over backwards when he noticed the unintentional cut he had made during his little mental trip. But when he looked closer at it… it seemed that this "mistake" would actually serve to make the piece better. He smiled again.

Even Daisuke had to admit that there are times when certain things must be dealt with and that certain things will start to happen whether people are ready for it or not.

***

Despite his best efforts, Ken was quickly finding that resistance was indeed futile. After hanging up from her conversation with Takeru, Miyako had declared that the three of them were going to hunt down the other trio- Taichi, Yamato, and Koushiro. More specifically, they were going to hunt down the brunette and the blond. They had some explaining to do. The redhead would, most likely, just get dragged along for the ride. Ken mused over the fact that he and Koushiro had something else to bond about besides computers at that point.

However, the girls were still quite upset about the whole ordeal. "He really didn't know?" Hikari was hoping for the best- that her friend and counterpart, Takeru, had not been holding out on her. She would probably beat him within an inch of his life if he had.

Miyako shrugged. "He really didn't know. And you know he's completely incapable of lying to either of us. He sounded pretty pissed off about the whole thing too. He's going to make some phone calls to sort this out while we go on a recon and capture mission."

That phrase made Ken groan. Recon and capture, definition: Miyako, Hikari, and now (unfortunately) Ken were going to tail Taichi and Yamato and in the course of any suspicious behavior, take them in for "questioning" using any means necessary. Having been on far too many of these missions in the past Ken began to try and backpedal to get away. But Miyako was too fast for him and caught his arm.

"Oh no you don't," she scolded. "After we're done with our questioning of Tai and Yama, you'll be in the hot-seat. So don't think for one minute that you're getting away, Ichijouji Ken."

He wanted to cry. "These missions never go well," he countered. "And I've been on too many of them."

Miyako snorted. "You've only been on one!"

"Exactly! That's one too many!" Ken tried to wrench free of her grip… and found out the hard way that when Miyako said he was doing something, then he was damn well going to do it. "Ow," he whispered. Her fingers were going to leave bruises.

'Kari giggled a bit, knowing full well that Ken was experiencing the Grip of Iron Death from her Jogress partner. "Does it hurt, Ken?" She laughed at the deathly glare she received.

"Hey, I don't lift weights for nothing!" With that, Miyako continued to haul Ken down the street, Hikari at their heels.

***

Takeru was in the midst of a full-blown pout when Iori strolled through the door. At the sight of his friend, Takeru brightened a bit. It was the first friendly male he had encountered all day. His job, unfortunately, left a bit to be desired as far as interaction. But he did get to meet some very lovely young women. Not that he would ever tell his girlfriend that. 'Kari would kill him.

When Takeru decided to get a job a year ago, he had gone to the mall in search of employment. As it turned out, the best paying job he could get was to work as a stock-boy for a women's lingerie store. Granted, they sold more than skimpy underthings, but he had still caught holy hell from all of his friends when they found out. Iori, in particular, seemed to think that the blonde could have done a lot better- until Takeru told him how much money he made. The issue had been dropped shortly thereafter.

"Iori!" Takeru all but flung himself at his friend. "Thank the gods you're here. Something big is happening."

"Don't tell me- Daisuke finally lost it completely and jumped Ken?" Everyone knew about the second leader's feelings.

Shaking his head, the blonde was dead serious. "Bigger."

Bigger? What could possibly be bigger than that? "Um… Hikari's pregnant?" Hey, it was worth a shot.

Aqua eyes bulged as Takeru clapped his hands over his ears. "No! And don't say things like that, you'll give me an aneurysm. She and I… nevermind," he trailed off with a blush.

Iori merely raised an eyebrow and pointed out the obvious: "I have hormones too, you know." The words were said in the same tone that most people reserved for the "I Have Feelings" speech.

Seeing his the brunette in distress, Takeru clapped a hand on his back. "Aw, I know. It's rough still being a virgin, huh? One of the few, the proud, the brave." With dramatic tears in his eyes, he delivered the next line with utmost sympathy. "Don't worry, I have hope that one day you too will get laid."

If patience and understanding were virtues, then Iori had instantly become a saint. Until he growled out his response. "Fuck you." So clearly enunciated that there was no mistaking just how irritated he was.

Takeru, however, only stuck out his tongue. "Bet you'd like to!" He laughed at the deadly menace in his friend's cool jade eyes. "Seriously though, this involves something of epic proportions!"

Rolling his eyes, Iori instantly switched to Why Should I Give A Shit mode. "Really? Do tell."

One blonde eyebrow went up before Takeru threw a thong at the other boy. "Quit being such a prude, this is serious!" Stifling a laugh when Iori pulled the thong off his face and blushed before awkwardly dropping it back on the table it came from, Takeru cleared his throat and resumed his speech. "My fair brother, it seems, had been holding out on me. It has been reported that he and Taichi are involved in a scheme of sorts that revolves around a certain redhead they've both been spotted with on more than one occasion." He knew that would pique his Jogress partner's interest.

Iori wasn't sure if he had heard properly. Yamato keeping secrets? From his brother?? "This is serious," he murmured.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you!" When Takeru yelled he startled several customers and earned a very dark look from his manager. He dropped his voice to a whisper. "Ken overheard Yama and Tai talking at my party two weeks ago about The Koushiro Project. One of them has a crush on him, or they both did at some point. No one knows right now. Miyako, Kari, and Ken are on their way to observe and interrogate even as we speak."

Iori was quiet for several minutes before letting out a big sigh. "Those two don't stand a chance and this could get very messy." The concern in his eyes was matched with Takeru's empathic nod.

They had no idea how right they both were.

***

Still in the bookstore, Taichi, Yamato, and Koushiro had reconvened for tea in the café area. All three were still having problems of the nose and ear variety. Tai had tried multiple times to clear his problem- with no success. His nose was raw and red. Yamato had tried a damp paper towel… which did absolutely nothing. Even Koushiro had resorted to the travel kit he carried on him for every last cotton swab he could find. He had scoured the kit and his ears were still so itchy that they were a distraction.

"We need to do something about this," Tai finally stated. 

Yamato nodded in agreement, face solemn. "This is really starting to annoy me."

"Well, at least you aren't itchy," Taichi offered. "Could be worse."

After shaking his head a bit, Koushiro finally gave in and asked what had been gnawing at him. "Now, why did you say this was happening again, Tai? Ow…"

"People are talking about us. Either it's a lot of people or they're just doing a _lot_ of talking. Can't tell which one yet." The brunette sighed and watched his statement register with the Chosen of Knowledge.

"You're aware that this idea is completely illogical," the redhead stated. When Tai nodded, he reaffirmed. "Just so we're clear. Ow. Dammit!"

All throughout Yamato had been muttering curses under his breath about burning ears and big-haired dolts who cause people to talk about them in excess. When his cell phone began to vibrate in his pocket it was a welcome distraction.

Hearing the soft buzzing, Taichi snickered. "Oooh, talk about good vibrations, eh Yama?"

"Oh shut up," the blonde snapped. "Yeah?"

While he had a quick and hushed conversation, Tai and Koushiro just looked at each other and shrugged. Since Tai was brave, he was willing to admit to the light blush on his cheeks. He was also thankful for his tan- it hid a lot of things. But, he noticed the same could not be said of Koushiro. A fine twinge of pink was scattered across the bridge of his nose and high up on his cheeks. And the longer Taichi stared, the darker that pink became. Throughout his staring, Koushiro tried desperately to pretend that it wasn't Tai staring at him. The redhead looked everywhere, his obsidian eyes darting as an obvious signature of nervousness.

Their trance was broken when Yamato snapped his phone shut, scowling. "Tai? Why the hell would your sister call me and want to know where we are?"

Gears turned for a moment. "Shit," he jumped up from his chair. "You didn't tell her did you?"

Blonde eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Of course I told her. Why wouldn't I?"

As he raked a hand through his wild mane of hair, Tai tried to think. "Anyone know where we can find Sora right about now? Or even Jyou?"

"Jyou's in class, but Sora should be at her apartment," Koushiro answered carefully. He didn't like the look on Tai's face.

Brushing aside a bare twinge of jealousy, Tai nodded. "Sora's it is then." He motioned to the others. "Grab your shit and get going. We need to clear out before to Inquisition gets here!" Looking up, he saw distinctly long, maroon hair moving by the window. "Damn." He grabbed his friends. "Not out the front- either we use the side entrance, the back door, or the window in the bathroom."

"Tai, what the hell is going on? What Inquisition?" Koushiro was all for fun and games, but this was getting ridiculous. Why on earth would Taichi be so frantic?

"Yeah, Tai, what the fuck? We just got here…" Yamato broke off when his friend turned to give him a hard glance. The blonde began to look around desperately. He knew then and there that their window of escape was a limited one. They had been discovered. "That window is awfully small. Think we can fit through?"

Taichi grinned. This was what made Yamato so much fun. "You bet your bony little ass we can!"

The three of them booked it to the bathroom just before Miyako walked into the store. Her eyes scanned the crowd and came up with nothing. Damn. Well, maybe Kari or Ken would have better luck.

When Tai, Yama, and Koushiro burst into the bathroom the brunette and the blonde wasted no time opening the window. And despite his utter confusion, Koushiro went through no questions asked. As his friends stumbled out behind him, they were greeted with a surprise.

"I'll help you escape," Ken offered, "but only if you'll take me with you!"

Tai nodded, not wanting to wait another minute. "How many of you are there?"

"Miyako's inside and your sister's at the back door," Ken replied. His eyes kept darting around, looking for that signature maroon hair.

Yamato and Taichi grinned. "Excellent," the blonde hissed. He grabbed Ken's hand. "We're headed for Sora's. Get your ass in gear and try to keep up!"

Ken laughed. "They don't call me The Rocket for nothing, Ishida," he cried as he sprinted past the blonde.

The four of them made it around the side of the store and onto the street before the two girls could find them. They dashed all the way to Sora's, shoving through crowded sidewalks and two subway stations all while screaming frantic things at one another.

"Yamato turn off your fucking cell phone!"

"But what if it's Sora or my brother?"

"Turn it off before I take it from you and beat you to death with it myself!"

"All right! All right!"

"Why are we running again?"

"To avoid the Inquisition!"

"What the hell is the Inquisition?!"

By then they had all stopped and were gasping for breath. Ken answered Koushiro's question with unlimited fear in his eyes. "Miyako."

That one name and the redhead understood.

After trekking up seven flights of stairs they reached Sora's apartment… only to find that she had been expecting them.

*************

You had to know I was going to bring in all the Chosen for this one. Hope some confusion was cleared up. I keep dropping hints… Next up: Sora and surprises, more Takeru and Iori, Daisuke once again, and Ken clears up some issues. This is so much fun to write… Review? 


	4. 4

Notes: been a while, eh? Sorry about that. Work situations did not permit any further ficcage and my previous home computer was being a pain in my ass. I have a new computer now though, and my boss is out at meetings. So, on with the fic!

Warnings: oh come on.

Disclaimer: again- oh come on!

__

Glass Statue- 4

Thinking was a strong suit for Takeru… on occasion. However, as he pondered over the possible excuses he could use to get out of work early, he was discovering that, perhaps, he was a blond at heart and not merely in hair color. "Damn," he muttered. "If Kari were here she'd know what to do."

He pouted again. Iori had long since departed on a mission to track down Miyako and find out just what the hell was going on. Chances were seventy to eighty-five percent that the Child of Light was with her Jogress partner. Takeru sighed. At least he knew where his girlfriend was. If she could even be called that…

Their relationship was something of a mystery to him. They went out to dinner and stuff and they kissed a lot, had sex on a fairly regular schedule… But neither of them had dropped those three words. Or any words on the subject really. It was beginning to irritate the blond. Along with thinking up excuses to leave, he was trying to think up ways to approach the subject with his… er… friend.

When his cell phone rang, he caught yet another dark glare from his manager before answering. "Moshimo-"

"TK?! TK are you still at work?" It was his brother. "You need to leave twenty minutes ago. Something's come up and I'm calling in my Family Emergency Excuse." There was a pause. "TK…?"

"Yama, just calm down and tell me what happened." Perfect. An excuse had come to him instead of him having to think it up.

"Ooh, you're good. Putting on your game face for the manager. Should I start wailing about family tragedy?"

It took every ounce of willpower Takeru had to not laugh. "No, don't worry about that. Just tell me where you are."

"You're way too good at this. I bet you aren't even smiling. Look, give me a call back after you leave, okay?"

Nodding, Takeru put the finishing touches on the conversation. "It's not a problem, Yamato. I need the money, but just stay where you are and try to remain calm. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"So, you'll call me back in, what, five minutes?"

In answer, Takeru snapped his cell phone shut and headed over to his manager with a practiced look of familial concern in his eyes. However, since he had been loud enough for everyone in the store to hear he didn't have to say a word. The manager just rolled her eyes and let him go.

It was almost disappointing. Walking out of the mall, Takeru mused that he would have to use his "my grandmother is on fire" excuse at a later date.

***

"All right, let's go over this one more time," Taichi still had one eyebrow up, looking suspicious. Well, as suspicious as possible considering his nose was still itchy. "You were expecting us… why, again?"

Sora raised an eyebrow in turn. However, being female, her brow won the contest because she knew the patented look of women everywhere. "Miyako called. She and your sister told me a few things." With utter satisfaction, she watched the bushy-haired young man back down. Her eyes darted quickly to the redhead in the party of four. "Some of the things they mentioned you may wish to discuss in private." As subtle as a sledgehammer between the eyes.

If Tai had been the sort to embarrass easily, he might have been concerned about the gentle flush across his cheeks. Instead, he nodded and grabbed Sora's arm. "Righty then! Back in a jif, kids." That said, he hauled her into her bedroom and shut the door.

Left in the living room, Koushiro, Yamato, and Ken blinked at the rapid shift of mood. It took a good five minutes before any of them managed to speak. When a voice broke the silence, it was Koushiro's- to absolutely no one's surprise.

"What the hell is she talking about?"

Yamato and Ken glanced at the redhead, at each other, at the redhead again, and finally at each other one last time.

Blue eyes narrowed as the blond put his hands on his hips. "And just how do you know about that?"

Ken gulped and hoped Yamato was in a forgiving mood and that he didn't want to play Twenty Questions like The Inquisition did. "Party two weeks ago?"

Fortunately, Yamato was a quicker thinker than his brother. "Oh shit, you heard all of that?" When Ken nodded, the blond flounced over to the couch and slumped down onto it. "You were supposed to walk away after the Daisuke part."

"From Miyako's reaction to everything I gathered that." Ken began studying his fingernails and tried to act as nonchalant as possible. "And your brother is on his way here isn't he? You realize he didn't know about The Project either."

Yamato went very quiet. "Shit," he muttered. Glancing at Koushiro, who looked completely lost, he tried to be hopeful. "So, where did you say Jyou was again?"

"Class," the redhead supplied, voice clipped. "What the hell are you two talking about? Someone better start telling me something before I call Miyako myself and leave you three at her mercy." For one of the good guys, the Chosen of Knowledge could be awfully vindictive sometimes.

Without any hesitation whatsoever, Yamato yelled, "Tai! Get your ass back out here now!"

***

"I still can't believe that little booger had the nerve to run off!" Miyako was furious. No one- absolutely _no one_- walked out on her. Especially not when on a mission. Ken, whether he knew it or not, was in some very deep trouble. Not the kind of trouble that would get him grounded. Not the kind of trouble he could get out of by being cute or smart. The kind of trouble that he would have to get a new identity for. But then, Miyako would probably find him and kill him anyway. "That little son of a co-"

"Children," Hikari called out. "Children nearby!"

"Oh fuck the children!" Miyako was too enraged for decency. But at least she was being sincere. While she was at it… "And fuck Ken too!"

Kari sighed and offered a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. Looking up she squinted at the familiar figure headed their way. "Well, here comes Iori. Maybe he knows something? We can always hope."

"Stop talking about your boyfriend," Miyako muttered darkly, not caring whether her label was accurate or not. Two seconds later she had rounded on their younger friend and completed a full interrogation, only to find out that he knew absolutely nothing.

"Hey, I'm just as out of the loop as anyone here. So, stop taking your frustration out on me." Shoving Miyako's poking index finger away, the youngest of the Chosen gave a smirk trying to cover up his feelings. If he kept them tucked away, just deep enough, she would never have to know.

"But you're the inheritor of Knowledge, god dammit," Miyako snarled. "You're supposed to know these things." She kept ranting as she grabbed the front of Iori's shirt and pulled him close. "Where are they? Why are they running if they've got nothing to hide? What's going-"

"Miyako, if you don't let me go, I might have to do something drastic," Iori was his naturally calm self. His jade eyes never wavered, he never cringed. When it appeared that his friend hadn't heard he rolled his eyes, heaved a sigh, and looked to Kari for help. She just shrugged at him. All while Miyako kept ranting. Finally, giving in to impulses and the need to shut the Keeper of Love and Sincerity up once and for all, Iori decided to go for broke. He placed the steamiest kiss he could muster on Miyako's open mouth.

Five minutes later they were still kissing passionately while Hikari glanced at her watch, smiled at the gaping passersby, and tried to fade into the background.

***

Daisuke was still sequestered away from the Digidestined shenanigans. He had no idea how many emotional geysers were exploding all over the greater Tokyo Bay Area. In fact, the list of things Daisuke did know was fairly standard. 

Point one, and the most obvious, he was almost done with Ken's gift. It had turned out slightly different than expected, but overall Dai was quite fine with that. He just hoped Ken would like it.

Point two, Ken was the Chosen of Kindness. So, even if he didn't like the gift or if he didn't return Daisuke's feelings, well, he had no choice but to be nice about it. Last time anyone had checked the Kaiser regalia had been retired years ago- with the exception of the whip, though no one really dared to ask why.

Point three, his friends readily supported his decision to finally (at long last!) take the plunge and have a Tell-All session with Ken. Now, if they would just listen to their own advice for a change…

Oh sure, Daisuke wasn't the prolific Keeper of Love, Knowledge, Sincerity, Light, Hope, or any of the other highly intuitive crests or tags. But he was, however, the newest declared Chosen of Friendship. And that meant he knew a lot more intimate secrets than the others might have guessed. For example, he knew Iori was in love with Miyako, but had yet to do anything about it. He was also acutely aware of the "relationship" between Hikari and Takeru… and what an unspoken mess it was. For all intents and purposes, they were a couple, but they were both so scared of actually talking about that fact, which resulted in overall mass confusion. Daisuke knew about the strange triangle that was Yamato, Taichi, and Koushiro- in that specific order no less. Yamato had fallen for Tai, who, of course, fell for Koushiro. As far as the blond and the brunette knew, the redhead was either asexual or preferred the comforts of his own hand. Daisuke knew all about The Project, as it had been pitched to him first. What a tangle that was. Lastly, he knew that the others (Sora, Mimi, Jyou, et al) were going to be pulled in no matter what.

Polishing up the last edge on his gift, Daisuke smiled. The Chosen were such an odd lot.

***

"Well, uh, you see… It's like this, um…" Taichi stammered his way through, trying not to vomit from nerves. Luckily for him, Sora swooped in to save his stomach.

"At Takeru's party, Yama and Tai staged a conversation for Ken about Daisuke's love for him." Ken blushed a perfect crimson, and Sora just kept right on trucking. "Apparently, he heard more than he was supposed to hear. Tai and Yama have been working on a project- the details of which are none of your fucking business." Koushiro's jaw closed with an audible 'click', and Sora kept going. "Miyako, Hikari, Takeru, and now probably Iori, are all pissed off that they don't know what's going on. Not that it matters, I'm sure all of that will work itself out in time." Taichi and Yamato paled. Sora paid them no heed. "Honestly, I really don't give a rat's ass about the Moron Twins here." Jabbing a thumb in the direction of said blond and brunette, she smirked at their indignant cries.

"Hey! Fuck you too!" From Taichi.

And, "You are such a bitch," from Yamato.

Sora rolled her lovely chestnut colored eyes and turned to Ken. "What I do care about, is whether or not you," she poked at Ken, "have been able to figure your ass from a hole in the ground."

With four pairs of eyes on him, Ken began to crack under the pressure. This was ridiculous. He was capable of figuring things out for himself. Though, he preferred to figure them out with the only other person the scenario involved… "Um, what?" Smiling hesitantly, he realized Sora wasn't going for it.

She coughed and gave him The Look. Tai shuddered and was glad her gaze was no longer pointed in his direction.

Ken struggled to breathe. Panic was setting in. Why should he have to explain himself to everyone else? Granted, if one of the Destined was effected, they were all… Damn. "Yes," he whispered and hung his head. This was not how he had intended this revelation to go. He had wanted… he wanted Daisuke- to be there, at least, to hear the words. Closing his eyes, Ken tried to make the world fade away.

Sora stepped forward and pushed Ken's hair out of his eyes. "There now. That wasn't so hard, was it?"

Ken scowled and sniffled a bit. "Yes, it was." Thinking for a moment, he finally noticed the other three expressions of shock. "I hate you," was the last thing he said to Sora before his cell phone rang. It was a special ring. A song that he had picked out because it reminded him of only one person. Shaking like a leaf, he stood and left the room to take his phone call. The only bit of conversation the others heard was the achingly tender, "Hello."

*************

That should clear up a few things. Hopefully. Wait 'til The Project really gets rolling. That'll be fun. So, Ken's confused, Daisuke's ready to sweep him off his feet, Miyako & Iori are busy making out, Sora's playing den mother, Takeru & Hikari are messed up, and The Trio… well, you'll see. Fear not- more soon, plenty of good times, and the rest of the Destined will be brought in too! Review if you really feel the need.

P.S. I think I'm having too much fun poking at all the names and metaphors for the Digidestined- Keeper, Chosen, Child, Inheritor, etc… It's just funny!


	5. 5

Notes: a gift giving fic, just a smidgen late for the holidays! Fun! This one should be done soon. Free Fall already got another chapter. Blood & Bone was supposed to be a one-shot, but has now wound up with an entire follow-up series. That's it for now… I think…   
  


Warnings: if you've reached chapter 5 without knowing, that's just sad.   


Disclaimer: don't own the characters.   


_Glass Statue- 5_

The tenderness in Ken's voice stretched across time and space. All the way into Daisuke's heart. Enough so, to make him smile as a reflection to his Jogress partner without even realizing it.   


"Hey," Ken's quiet voice filled the space between them. "I was going to call you earlier but Miyako and Hikari found me before I could. You know how those two are once they latch onto a victim."   
  


Daisuke laughed. It was so easy to talk to him. Even the mere dulcet sounds of Ken's voice soothed him. The nervousness he had felt while dialing disappeared. "Yeah, I know. Sounds like you've escaped their clutches though."   
  


Ken sighed. "For now, it looks like. So, what's up?"   
  


This was it. Time to take the big plunge. Coughing to clear his throat, Dai forced the words before he could chicken out. "What're you up to tonight? If you're busy with Mai, I understand, but there's something…"   
  


"I'm not busy, Dai," Ken's reply was gentle. "I'm never too busy for you." At least, he was going to make damn sure he never was again. "Mai and I broke it off anyway. That's why I was going to call you. There are some things…"   
  


Daisuke froze. Ken knew. At least it sounded that way. Fending off apprehension, he asked his next question anyway. "What things?" He was amazed that his voice didn't squeak.   


Fighting off a squeak himself, Ken pushed his nerves aside. "Just some things we need to talk about, Daisuke. It's been a while since we've really talked."   
  


Heart hammering in his chest, Dai agreed as they chose to meet at his family's apartment in two hours. After a few lingering words, they hung up. The artist felt his nerves jumping and moving like lightning in his stomach. But there was no turning back. He had to tell Ken, he just had to. And it seemed like the Child of Kindness was more than happy to at least rekindle their friendship. Blushing, Daisuke thought about how tender and affectionate Ken had sounded on the phone.

Giving a dreamy sigh, he cleared his head and started cleaning up his studio. Two hours to confrontation and he still had to wrap Ken's gift and find a simple meal to cook that would seduce the genius. Hmmm… maybe he could just order out…

***

Ken rejoined the others in Sora's living room with an elated smile plastered on his face. And if he hadn't looked like he was high as a kite, Taichi probably could have kept his mouth shut. As it was…

"So, was that Daisuke?" The older brunette smirked at Ken's subsequent blush and slow nod.

"Tai," Sora chided, "perhaps it would be best to give him some space for a minute."

A pair of delicious chocolate eyes rolled skyward. "Why? So that you can pry all the dirt out of him before I can? I don't think so, honey."

Yamato snickered behind his hand while Koushiro looked equal parts amused and lost. When the blond could control his own amusement, he turned to Ken. "So, you did figure out what you want from him?"

"Yes." The response was quiet, unsure.

"And that would be…?" Maybe if he could bait him well enough he could pry the answer out.

However, as a genius, Ken was aware of such tricks. Raising an eyebrow at the elder Chosen he shook his head. "That's none of your business." With that he stood to let himself out. "You'll all know soon enough anyway." Dodging past both Tai and Sora he darted for the door and was gone before the others had a chance to process (nevermind protest) what he'd said.

Once the dust Ken had kicked up settled once more, Taichi huffed in irritation. "Keeping secrets! Of all the things…" He continued mumbling while the others stared at him. Obviously, he had to be insane. Although all sets of eyes that were observing the scene glowed with affection.

Eventually, Tai's ranting slowed, then stopped altogether. As the words died away, the other three in the room looked at him with wide eyes. His own eyes had a certain twinkle and a devilish smile began to curl his lips. Before speaking he reached for the phone, ready to dial at a moment's notice. "Oh Sora…" The name was dragged out, teasing.

Unfortunately for Taichi, the Keeper of Love knew the face he wore all too well. "Don't even try it," she said flatly. "And no, don't try pouting at me either! Those damn puppy eyes won't work on me anymore! Put the phone down too, you won't accomplish anything with that."

Despite the Death Glare he was receiving, Tai smiled. "You think I won't leave him messages saying how you're too embarrassed to tell him your true feelings so you came to me? For _shame_! I am not above such lowly measures. So you might as well tell me." He tapped the phone and pretended to think. "Now which is it? Speedial two or three?"

Normally, Yamato would have stepped in at that point. Largely because Tai was being an ass and because of the smack he had received earlier. However, by then, the blond knew the score and was just as eager to see if Taichi's tricks would work as the brunette was.

For his part, Koushiro heaved a sigh and rolled his eyes. "Taichi, you're like a little kid." 

In reply, said "little kid" stuck out his tongue at the redhead. "It's part of my charm. It's why you love me so much."

Off to the side, Yamato struggled to hide his chuckling. "I don't know about that, Tai. Love may be a bit extreme." Eyeing the brunette, he smirked when there was another flash of tongue. "Cute."

"Speaking of love, though," Tai turned back to Sora. He gave the Puppy Eyes one more try, putting every last drop of sparkle and abandonment he could muster into it. With a certain satisfaction he watched as her left eye twitched. She was going to crack.

"Fine! Fine I'll tell you! Just stop it with the damn eyes, okay?" Completely irritated that Taichi had won, Sora shook her head in disgust. As she was about to tell all, another voice piped up to save her- for the moment.

"Honestly, Sora," Koushiro was half chiding and half amused. "I've already told him Jyou's in class right now and I have a key to his place. All you would have had to do was ask me to erase the messages and I would have."

"Oooh, defeated for nothing!" A gloating Tai was an annoying thing.

Anything Sora could say to the trio was summed up quite nicely: "I hope you all die."

***

Having finally broken apart from being joined at the lips, Miyako and Iori were simply staring at each other. It was completely surreal. And there's a scale to measure things like that- The Dali Meter. From one, being a day when Hikari's hair had turned orange from a bad dye job and Mimi had announced she was going to grad school on full scholarship for academic achievement, to ten… which had no real comparison. However, suddenly kissing one of your oldest and closest friends and finding complete passion and love from out of the blue? That clocked in at about an eleven from Miyako. Iori chalked it up to a seven or eight for himself as he'd been nurturing an infatuation with his friend for some time.

Even Miyako, the Keeper of the Biggest, Loudest Mouth this side of the Meridian, was stunned into silence. And then complete stupidity. "You just kissed me!"

Feeling his lips quirk, the Inheritor of Knowledge and Faith couldn't help his dry comeback. "So glad you noticed."

"But, but… you kissed me!" She touched her lips wondering if they were showing the burn she could feel on them. That kiss had been hot. Eyes blinking rapidly behind her glasses, Miyako tried to process. After several moments she felt her heart melting and she smiled. "Do it again?" For the first time ever, her voice was soft, unsure.

Also, for the first time ever, Iori had unparalleled confidence, if not a little extra prowess. "Of course." He smiled and moved closer to Miyako again, kissing her with the weight of a longtime crush behind him.

Apart from them, Kari coughed. "This is great, and congratulations!" There was genuine happiness her voice for the new couple. "But break it up, guys." When they complied she grabbed Miyako's arm. "We still have a mission to complete."

"Hmm? Oh, yeah." Instead of her usual capture and conquer attitude, there was genuine regret in Miyako's voice. Still, a sly smile crept across her face. "Well, Iori didn't know anything and Takeru's at work." She was counting off on her fingers, looking quite pleased at her brilliant distraction. "Daisuke is… who the hell knows where. Ken ditched us-"

"No, he didn't. He's right there," Iori cut in. Pointing to the figure walking not twenty feet away, he sighed. Damn interference. He was just starting to get somewhere too.

"Oh," Miyako looked disappointed. "Damn."

Hikari rolled her eyes and grabbed both of her friends. "Come on you two, you can make out later. Ken! Over here!"

At first, the Chosen of Kindness panicked. Then he noticed something peculiar- a completely subdued Miyako. His interest immediately piqued, he wandered over towards the two females and noticed they had gained a new cohort. Thankfully, Iori was known for being grounded and sane, as it were, so Ken felt no current threat. "Wow. I've never seen her like this before." To test he poked Miyako's glasses, then her nose. She put an abrupt halt to the activities with a tremendous swat at Ken's hand. "Well, it was fun while it lasted."

With lightning speed, the Keeper of Love and Sincerity grabbed Ken's wrist. "Don't think you're getting away for one minute, bright boy," she hissed. "You ditched us and must therefore pay the price."

Ken was completely averse to hitting girls. But he was rapidly starting to rethink the policy. Even a simple twist, or a throw and he could get free. Before he could move, though, Hikari spoke up.

"Watch it, Miya. He's got the running look in his eyes. I think he just might toss you into the air." The Child of Light snickered when Ken fixed a glare at her. 

Damn, two women to deal with…

"So, Ken, you looked like you were headed somewhere," Iori stepped up. "Going someplace special?" That boy was a savior. The next Messiah.

Smiling in pure relief, Ken nodded. "Yeah," his voice was quiet, tender. "I'm going to meet up with Daisuke." He was shocked when Miyako completely let him go.

"Oh, well then, if that's the case- off you go! Can't keep him waiting after all." She laughed viciously and winked when the Child of Kindness blushed a perfect tomato red. With the tension broken, she calmed a bit and tilted her head as she scrutinized the young man. "You seem different, like you've come to some sort of realization." Grinning like the gossip predator she was, Miyako gripped Ken again making it clear he wouldn't escape. "Do tell…"

A dishing Miyako was a scary, scary thing. However, Ken had experience with her and knew just the kind of bait to throw her way. Twisting out her hold with easy grace, he stepped back from the group and winked. "You'll know soon enough."

Before Miyako could go after her target again, Iori made himself useful and distracted her with another kiss. It distracted Ken as well and he stood gaping and stunned for a few moments before the green-eyed boy broke for air and shooed him off. "Go! Run while you can." The words were rushed so that he could get back to… distracting Miyako.

Glancing at Kari, Ken waved. "You'll never catch me and if you make me late to meet up with Dai I'll tell your brother all the nasty things you have planned for him." Grinning, he took off.

Kari's whine of, "Vindictive bastard," chased Ken as he left the group behind.

***

Daisuke was freaking out. As in nerves twisting in his stomach, sweating bullets, shaking (but trying to be manly about it), and pacing kind of freaking out. "Food," he muttered to himself. "Food, food- gotta find food. Something easy to cook that'll taste good." He was sorting through the contents of the kitchen, pantry, and anywhere else in his family's apartment that he could think of.

Ken's gift stood on the table in the kitchen, wrapped with utmost care. Pausing in his search, Dai traced an idle hand over the lines of the wrapping. He had changed his clothes a few times already out of nervousness as well attempting a little light cleaning too. Anything to impress Ken. Sighing, Daisuke shook himself out of his little trance. Well, it looked like he was going to have to do this the usual Motomiya way- improvise.

Besides, it was Ken after all. And Ken knew how Daisuke really was. Sloppy, unprepared, exuberant… and desperately in love with his best friend. At that thought, the redhead deflated a little. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Even though Ken had to be nice about it… rejection would still suck. 

Still, Ken had sounded really genuine and, well, loving on the phone. Maybe, just maybe, there was a chance after all. Despite the constant string of girls the Keeper of Kindness had gone through. Not to mention the consistent line of ladies-in-waiting clamoring for his attention. Dammit.

"Too late now," Dai said to himself. Settling in for another hour of waiting, he jumped when there was a knock at the front door. Nervous? Nonsense! Totally prepared to get rid of whoever it was, Daisuke was surprised when he opened the door and he looked straight into two shining indigo eyes.

Ken knew his face was flushed from rushing, but he hoped it wasn't too noticeable. "Hey, Dai."

Daisuke all but glowed at the beautifully, perfectly gentle smile on his friend's face. "You're early," was all he said as he opened the door further.

Stepping inside, Ken took a relaxing breath. He was insanely tense. "Yeah," he finally replied. "I didn't really have anything else do to kill another hour of time, so I came over here. It's not a problem is it?"

Shaking his head, Dai fought off a fine tremor of nerves. "Of course not. I just didn't get a chance to make any dinner or anything for us yet. My parents are visiting one of my aunts and Jun's at school, which you knew, and hey that almost kinda rhymes-" A hand was firmly placed over his mouth.

"You're babbling," Ken said as he hushed his friend. The touch was burning through his fingers, making him even more nervous about things. "You don't babble unless something is bothering you. What is it, Daisuke?" Withdrawing his hand, he smiled again feeling his heart flutter at the wide, sparkling cinnamon eyes that stared at him.

He had touched him. Ken the perfect, Ken the beautiful, Ken the amazing, had _touched_ him. Of course, in the back of Daisuke's mind he rationalized that Ken always touched him. Or at least, he had… up until two weeks ago. Since then, Ken had seemed vaguely distant. Eyebrows furrowed in confusion, Dai thought over the revelation. "You know, I haven't seen you since Takeru's party two weeks ago. I nearly forgot until just now. Guess I figured you were busy with Mai or whoever else."

"I told you earlier, I'm never too busy for you," Ken frowned. This was taking a bit of a detour.

"Yeah." Finally shaking free of his sugar-honey-fluff cocoon, Daisuke felt his head clear a bit from the Ken haze. "You broke up with her? Why? I thought you liked her." Motioning for his friend to follow him, he moved towards the kitchen without really thinking about it.

"Not really," Ken said, absent-mindedly. Back on track, a bit. All he really had to do was put things in serious motion by speaking up. "Things with her were really dull, and then I heard about something at that party…" his voice died as the duo reached the kitchen. Eyes glued to the wrapped package on the table, Ken had to wonder what it was and who it was for.

Still not even thinking about it, Daisuke opened the refrigerator to get some orange juice. "Oh yeah?" That was interesting. "What did you hear that made you change your mind about her? You didn't hear that Takeru rumor did you? Because I only said that to get back at him for something." He moved about the small kitchen, getting a glass, pouring the juice, and putting the carton back while speaking. Oblivious to Ken's complete silence.

The mention of the blond caught Ken's brain. "Takeru rumor? What Takeru rumor?"

Glancing over his shoulder, Dai saw his friend's confusion. "Uh, nothing! It's nothing. But, if it wasn't that, what the hell did you hear about?" Raising an eyebrow, he turned completely to figure out what Ken's gaze was so fixated on.

Studying the gift on the table, Ken concluded it was probably something important. But it had definitely been wrapped by Daisuke. The excessive amounts of tape were a dead giveaway. "I just heard about someone's feelings for me, that's all." Then he stopped. That was not how he had intended to broach the subject. Oops.

Dai choked on his juice. Coughing to try and cover- in that lame kind of way- he managed to regain his composure. Trying to speak between coughs, he asked, "Why would that change how things… ow… I mean, why would that change things with Mai?"

"It just did." That gift was really distracting. Like a good mystery or a puzzle, and Ken loved solving things. "What's that on the table?" But, there were times when his patience for solving simply ran out.

Do or die time. For his part, Daisuke tried to feign complete coolness. "Open it," he said softly, looking down into his glass. "It's for you. Just something I made." He shrugged as though hadn't spent hours trying to perfect the gift.

Ken looked at his friend. There were obvious clues in the scene, but as befuddled as he was, the genius was being completely dumb about putting two and two together- his brain kept coming up with three. "You made something for me?" In all actuality, he was a little shocked and touched by the idea.

"Well, yeah," Daisuke shrugged again. "We are friends, and I like making projects for my friends." Swigging the last of his orange juice he licked his lips. "You know that almost better than anyone."

Despite his blatant blindness towards other things, Ken did catch what Daisuke said. "Almost?" If he had been anyone else, if he had not been schooled to control his face so well, Ken would have been pouting.

Rolling his eyes, Dai turned to rinse out his glass. "Just open it."

There it was- The Moment of Truth. Ken was cautiously moving towards the table and the gift. So carefully as though something might shatter. Long, slender fingers began ripping away the paper… and the yards of tape used to hold everything together. After a few minutes of unwrapping, Ken finally saw what it was that Daisuke had created for him. The sight of it stole his breath.

Wrapped so painstakingly in paper and tissue was a glass statue. Two figures- one standing, one kneeling, facing each other, the standing figure had elegantly carved wings, the kneeling figure was looking up at the other and crying- tears etched in glass to forever capture the gleaming crystals they were. Two figures, obviously in love, and obviously aching to be with one another. The standing angel was Ken, the kneeling worshipper- Daisuke.

Blinking back real tears, Ken turned to his friend. "Daisuke, are you…? I mean, is this…" Emotion made his throat catch on the words. As he moved closer to the redhead, Ken tripped and suddenly found himself kneeling in front of Daisuke. He looked up, tears falling from his eyes, and whispered, "Shouldn't you have wings for this?"

Dai simply laughed through tears of his own before leaning down to kiss Ken, only find that Ken had risen to meet him halfway.

*************

Awww… fluffity, fluff, fluff, fluff! Originally, I wasn't going to put in the description of the statue or the kiss, they were going to be in the next chapter. But I couldn't help it. Fluffiness abounds! This is going to be finished too- with a separate follow-up story for the Trio. For the next chapter though: more mushy romance with Daisuke & Ken, more Miyako and Iori being all cute, maybe TK and Kari will figure their nonsense out, and Sora will deal with the Trio… before dragging Jyou into things. Because everybody loves Jyou.


End file.
